Judokas from Alaska, Northwest Territories and Yukon squared off for territorial titles on Saturday.

Fifty-eight athletes converged on the Canada Games Centre for the annual Judo Yukon Open Championships, which featured members of four Yukon clubs, as well as rivals from Anchorage, Juneau and Yellowknife.

Yukon judokas picked up the lion’s share of the victories, including 16 of 20 available gold medals that included categories from novice to senior.

Division champions from Yukon included Ove Maxfield, Jacob Melanson, Jayden Iskra (2), Jaymi Hinchey (2), Cassie Jensen, Ella Hotte, Samuel Bradet, Alexander Penner, Kenai Bryden, Lia Hinchey, Dalton Penner, Gabriel Racine, Mason Parry and Jonathan Racine.

Other winners included Gavin Mellon and Dorian Mellon of Anchorage and Yellowknife’s Emanuel Lamvu and Maxence Jaillet.

Sportsmanship awards were won by Lamvu and Anneke Aasman while Jaymi Hinchey was also honoured for best technique.

While numbers were down slightly from last year’s Yukon championships as well as 2014 – when nearly 100 took part – the sport is growing in the territory, said tournament director Aaron Jensen.

“Judo Yukon itself is doing quite well,” he told the Star. “Within the Yukon, the sport definitely continues to grow.”

Jensen said Northern Lights – one of two clubs in Whitehorse – grew significantly in terms of new athletes.

The majority of Yukon’s judokas are currently under the age of 12, and the sport serves as a solid foundation for physical sports, Jensen said.

Judo is the combination of several basic skillsets that kids don’t necessarily learn naturally, he noted.

“Judo builds physical literacy,” Jensen said, helping judokas to become well-rounded athletes.